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Memphis in May connects city with world, creates economic boom

Memphians and out-of-towners are gathering Downtown throughout this month to hear the stirring sounds of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, savor the product of competitive barbecue cooking and watch major touring acts rock the stages at Tom Lee Park.

Downtown Memphis sees construction crews return

The Great Recession silenced construction crews throughout the Memphis area, and that was especially evident Downtown, where ambitious, skyline-changing projects were put on hold, reconfigured or scrapped altogether.

As the economy starts to rebound, local lenders like Magna Bank, First Tennessee Bank and Renasant Bank are seeing moderate improvement in activity for new commercial and residential construction projects, and competition is intensifying to land deals.

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On Stands Now: The Memphis News: Business, politics, and the public interest.

National Hispanic Professional Organization-Memphis will meet Thursday, May 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Speakers include Larry Jensen, president and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors LLC, and representatives from Washington think tank Excelencia in Education. Cost is free for members and $20 for nonmembers. R.S.V.P. to info@nhpomemphis.us or 466-6476.

2011: The Mississippi River at Memphis crested at 48 feet, the highest level since the all- time record 1937 flooding on the river at Memphis of 48.7 feet. Large crowds of Memphians came to the riverfront the weekend before the crest to snap photos and see for themselves the river at the highest level many had ever seen in their lives. Greenbelt Park on Mud Island, which normally floods during the spring, was closed by the city as the muddy water rose to the paved walkway on the west side of Island Road. The river waters invaded the Riverwalk model on Mud Island as well. And the Memphis in May International Barbecue Cooking Contest was moved from the park to Tiger Lane at the Fairgrounds.

Just a few feet beyond the Tennessee-Mississippi state line past the Fayette County line on U.S. 72 is the turn onto Cayce Road in Byhalia and what is soon to be the first U.S. plant of the Danish company Roxul Inc.

The local commercial real estate market is a tale of two sectors, with the industrial sector showing signs of improvement while the overall office sector – outside the prized East Memphis submarket – continues to struggle through the first three months of the year, according to recent reports.

The Tennessee Open Records Law is one of several state laws upheld in a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling for its limitations on requests for public records by those who live outside of the state in question.

Plans for Cooper-Young garage gaining momentum

The first elected official to drop hints about a Cooper-Young parking garage was Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr., who is frequently seen in the restaurants in the district on Saturday mornings or mid-afternoon.

A unique faith-based partnership between Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and more than 500 of the area’s churches has been lauded nationally by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a model for addressing health care disparities and preventing and managing chronic diseases.

The interim superintendent of Shelby County’s two public school systems says staffing changes at some schools to start with the first school year of the merger aren’t as draconian as they could have been.

In increasing access to care and outcomes, health care organizations in Memphis and elsewhere in the nation need to find innovative solutions to bring down the cost of providing care, Gary Shorb, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, said in a speech to industry leaders at the University Club earlier this month.

Memphis institution Corky’s publishes cookbook

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said he’d push to repeal a tax that levies an extra 2.3 percent on the sales of medical devices, saying the tax makes it harder for medical device makers to hire new employees.

It’s funny the things you take for granted when you’re in the middle of them. Like, well, everything connected to this thrilling Grizzlies playoff run, including the characters and the language that have become part of the city’s core.

Dr. Patrick Gray, an associate professor in Rhodes College’s department of religious studies, has received the college’s Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Research. Gray’s research centers on biblical studies, specifically the history and literature of early Christianity and the Greco-Roman context.

Ray’s Take Hopefully you have a financial plan to guide you to your goals, whether they are college for the kids, a vacation home or a secure retirement. However, one of the key indicators as to whether you will be able to achieve those goals is your ability to avoid distractions from your plan.

Why do leaders miss seeing sweeping global trends that are about to broadside them? I put a big part of the blame on the standard SWOT analysis used in strategic planning –Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It’s time to update this methodology.

Good sales professionals are subject matter experts on the products and services they sell. This expertise inevitably creates a few blind spots. When you feel like you’ve seen it all – every prospect response, motivation and objection – it’s easy to occasionally jump to the wrong conclusion. Ensure bad assumptions don’t deter your selling efforts by watching out for the following most common.

If you have ever engaged someone in a discussion about left- and right-brain thinking they almost always take a side. Sometimes it seems that the two sides are incompatible and unbending in their view of how one should see the world. The right-brain people are typically labeled “creative” and “artistic” with a unique ability to see things intuitively and as a whole. The left-brain people are “analytical” and “detail oriented” utilizing linear process and logic to solve problems.

Many years ago when I began my career with a national CPA firm I was quickly bombarded with information related to numerous firm policies and procedures. I was told about everything including when to show up for work and which color pencil to use. I’m not kidding about the pencil choosing policy.